The present invention relates to a control method and control apparatus suited for downloading, for example, music data or the like, transmitted via a digital satellite broadcast to a data storage apparatus.
Digital satellite broadcasting is now spreading. Compared with existing analog broadcasting, the digital satellite broadcasting resists noise and fading and allows transmission of high quality signals. Also, the digital satellite broadcasting improves frequency utilizing efficiency and provides multi channels. For instance, in the digital satellite broadcasting, it is possible for one satellite to provide several hundreds of channels. The digital satellite broadcasting provides many specialized channels such as sports, movie, music and news, on which channels individual contents are broadcast.
Among these specialized channels, music channels are among the most popular broadcasting programs for promotion purposes in which mainly new songs and hit songs are put on the air.
As stated above, programs for introducing new songs and hit songs are put on the air by means of moving pictures and sound via conventional music channels. If viewers watch the music channels and find some songs favorable, they want to buy CDs or the like containing the songs and enjoy them. Also, they are sometimes inclined to gather information on the artists singing the songs they like and information on albums containing the favorite songs. When a viewer watches a music program and wants to know about information on an artist or his or her album containing the viewer's favorite song, it is convenient that the viewer can obtain the information instantly. Further, when the viewer finds a favorite song, it is convenient that he or she can download audio data on the song. The conventional music channels are, however, one-way media to send moving pictures and sound and are not able to respond to such requests from viewers.
To solve the above disadvantage, there has been proposed a music content transmission system which allow viewers to easily obtain information on music put on the air on a music channel and to easily download music data to a data storage device (as described in, for example, PCT/JP98/05044 filed on Nov. 10, 1998 by the same applicant as that of this application). There has also been proposed downloading information on lyrics and jacket data as well as the music data in the music content transmission system.
Meanwhile, to provide such a music content transmission system, a user side for receiving digital satellite broadcasting needs to connect a tuner for receiving the digital satellite broadcasting needs to a data storage device (recording device) which employs a storage medium such as a magneto-optical disc and needs to download music data received at the tuner to the recording device. In this case, if the music data received at the tuner is to be downloaded to the recording device, processing is needed for controlling the recording operation and the like of the recording device based on data including the broadcast start and end time of the song as well as music data received at the tuner. Thus, it is required to set the tuner and the recording device to operate in cooperation with each other. For instance, there are various types of recording devices for recording audio signals. It is difficult for data from broadcasting stations from which music programs are transmitted to directly control unspecified recording devices connected to tuners.
Furthermore, the number of recording devices connected to a tuner is not always one and a plurality of recording devices may be connected to the tuner. In that case, it is also impossible for the broadcasting stations to select the recording device to which music data is downloaded. It is, therefore, necessary to deal with them at the tuner side in some way.
It is noted that the above description concerns a case of transmitting music data by digital satellite broadcasting. The same problems occur when various content data transmitted are from the external side using broadcast waves or the like and are to be downloaded to the reception side based on the data transmitted therefrom together with the content data.